My upcoming encounters with Saint Bernadette

Modern Catholic tradition holds that there are 4 saints generally regarded as go-tos for the impossible cases. My journey this fall begins in Lisbon, Portugal, the birthplace of one of them- Saint Anthony of Padua.

The other 3 are considered to be Saint Philomena, Saint Jude Thaddeus and Saint Rita of Cascia.

I submit another for consideration- Saint Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes, whose feast day is today- April 16th.

Few people in history overcame steeper odds than Bernadette and few, if any, places are associated with more miraculous healings and cures than Lourdes.

In fact, the entire story of Lourdes is an impossibility from start to finish. Get this- The Mother of God, herself, is going to appear 18 times to this poor, uneducated peasant girl in this isolated village in the Pyrenees mountains of southern France. Speaking from inside a cave in Massabielle, she will instruct this girl to dig a hole in the dirt.

From this hole would emerge a spring that would cure thousands and a shrine would be built that would witness 4 million pilgrims a year.

The lady would reveal herself to Bernadette by proclaiming "I am the Immaculate Conception" on March 25th- the very day that that miraculous intervention of God took place.

"I am the Immaculate Conception"

Bernadette would be struck with multiple illnesses and immense suffering and would die during Easter week in 1879 at the age of just 35. Bernadette refused to avail herself of the miraculous waters of Lourdes that were brought to the world through her. She preferred to suffer for God, remembering the words of the blessed lady;

"I cannot promise you happiness in this world, only in the next".

This fall, I will have two encounters with Bernadette and her legacy. In the last week of September, I will spend 3 nights in Lourdes where it all happened. A few days later, I will visit Nevers, France and see her incorrupt body, miraculously preserved for nearly 150 years. I surely will be seeking my own miracles.

Miracles of Lourdes include:

1. Catherine Latapie (1858)  

   • Condition: Paralysis of the hand from a traumatic injury.

   • Miracle: In the early days of the Lourdes apparitions, Catherine, a pregnant woman, bathed her paralyzed hand in the newly discovered spring. She regained full movement instantly, defying medical expectations.

   • Significance: As one of the first recorded healings, it helped establish Lourdes as a place of divine intervention.

2. Louis Bouriette (1858)  

   • Condition: Blindness in one eye due to a mining accident, persisting for 20 years.

   • Miracle: Louis washed his eye with spring water and regained sight immediately. Doctors found no natural explanation for the recovery.

   • Significance: This early case reinforced the spring’s reputation and drew widespread attention.

3. Marie Moreau (1866)  

   • Condition: Near-total blindness from a severe inflammatory eye disease.

   • Miracle: Applying Lourdes water to her eyes, Marie’s vision returned within hours, despite a prognosis of permanent blindness.

   • Significance: Officially recognized by the Church, it set a benchmark for rigorous miracle verification.

4. Pierre de Rudder (1875)  

   • Condition: An unhealed open leg fracture for eight years, rendering him crippled.

   • Miracle: Praying at a Lourdes replica in Belgium, Pierre felt a sudden change; his leg healed instantly, with bone restoration later confirmed by autopsy.

   • Significance: Unique for occurring outside Lourdes, it highlighted the reach of faith tied to the site.

5. Joachime Dehant (1878)  

   • Condition: A life-threatening gangrenous leg ulcer deemed incurable.

   • Miracle: After bathing in the Lourdes spring, her ulcer healed completely within days, astonishing her physicians.

   • Significance: The visible, rapid recovery made this case a powerful testament to Lourdes’ healing legacy.

6. Anna Santaniello (1952)  

   • Condition: Terminal heart disease and tuberculosis, with death imminent.

   • Miracle: Immersed in the Lourdes baths, Anna experienced instant relief, walked unaided, and was declared cured. She lived for decades after.

   • Significance: Recognized as the 51st miracle in 2005, it showcased a dramatic multi-condition recovery.

7. Jean-Pierre Bély (1987)  

   • Condition: Multiple sclerosis causing paralysis and confinement to a wheelchair.

   • Miracle: During a Lourdes pilgrimage, Jean-Pierre felt a sensation during the anointing of the sick and regained mobility. Medical tests confirmed his full recovery.

   • Significance: The 67th miracle (1999), it’s a well-documented modern case with extensive medical records.

8. Danila Castelli (1989)  

   • Condition: Severe hypertension and tumors causing years of debilitating symptoms.

   • Miracle: After bathing in the Lourdes spring, Danila felt immediate peace; tests later showed her tumors and symptoms had vanished.

   • Significance: Declared the 69th miracle in 2013, it exemplifies a complex, instantaneous healing.

9. John "Jack" Traynor (1923)  

   • Condition: Severe war injuries from World War I, including paralysis of the right arm, partial leg paralysis, epilepsy, and a trepanned skull from failed surgery.

   • Miracle: A Liverpool native, Traynor joined his diocese’s first pilgrimage to Lourdes in 1923 despite being gravely ill. After nine baths in the spring and a blessing with the Eucharistic monstrance, he felt sudden "agitation" in his limbs. He walked unaided, his arm regained function, his seizures ceased, and the skull wound healed instantly. Doctors in 1926 deemed it "outside and above the forces of nature."

   • Significance: Recognized as the 71st miracle on December 8, 2024, by Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool, it’s the first officially acknowledged English case. Traynor returned yearly as a stretcher-bearer until 1939, dying in 1943 of unrelated causes.

   
   
   
   

The Incorrupt Body of Saint Bernadette

Bernadette Soubirous, the young visionary who encountered the Virgin Mary 18 times in 1858 at the Grotto of Massabielle, is central to Lourdes’ story. She died in 1879 at age 35 from tuberculosis of the bone, but her body has remained a marvel:

• Exhumations: Examined in 1909, 1919, and 1925 during her canonization, Bernadette’s body was found remarkably preserved—skin intact, features lifelike—despite damp burial conditions. Witnesses, including medical experts, were astounded.

• Current State: Displayed in a glass reliquary at the Convent of Nevers, France, her face and hands bear a thin wax coating for preservation, but the underlying body’s lack of decay is natural and unexplained. She was canonized in 1933.

• Significance: Though not classified as a miracle, her incorruptibility is seen by many as a divine sign, enhancing Lourdes’ spiritual allure.

Legacy of Lourdes

The spring Bernadette unearthed at Mary’s behest remains the heart of these miracles, with millions visiting annually for healing or devotion. The rigorous process—requiring medical and theological consensus—ensures only the most extraordinary cases, like Traynor’s, are recognized. From early healings like Latapie’s to modern cases like Traynor’s, Lourdes continues to inspire awe and faith.